Does this situation sound familiar?
Mom goes into the son’s room to get him up for school. The lights are still on from the night before; the son has his ipod in his ears and he has fallen asleep with his clothes on. There are pop cans and candy wrappers all over the floor and his backpack is in a heap.
Mom: “Honey it’s time to get up for school.”
Son: in a groggy voice with one bloodshot eye open: “What time is it?”
Mom: “It’s 6:00. You have to get up for school.”
Son: “Just let me sleep 5 more minutes and then I will get up, I promise.”
Mom: You need to get up and come downstairs for breakfast. The bus will be here in 20 minutes.”
Son: “I don’t want breakfast; I’d rather sleep a little longer.”
Mom: “Don’t you have a science test today?”
Son: “Yeah and soccer try-outs are tonight.”
Mom: “You need to get up and start getting ready. I’ll bring you something to eat up here. And I want you to come right home after soccer tonight and get to bed early. You look exhausted.”
Today's teens are very busy people who face challenges every day that even an over-achieving adult would find daunting. No wonder teens can spread themselves too thin and feel like they’re "stressing out." In this flurry of activity some teenagers, like many adults, don't realize that skipping meals and not getting enough sleep and exercise makes it harder to perform and reach their goals.
The key is to convince your teen that poor physical health can jeopardize their ability to achieve in school and in other important aspects of their life.
Sleep Deprivation
Most teens don't get enough sleep because they're overloaded and tend to skimp on sleep. Over time those nights of missed sleep can build into a sleep deficit. People with a sleep deficit are unable to concentrate, study and work effectively. They can also experience emotional problems, like depression.
Research shows that 20% of high school students fall asleep in class. Experts have found a link between sleep deprivation and poorer grades in teens. Sleep loss also slows a teen's physical reaction time, which means they can't do their best in sports. It also puts them at greater risk when driving a car.
During adolescence, the body's internal biological clock is reset, telling a teen to fall asleep later at night and wake up later in the morning. This change in the body’s rhythm seems to be due to the fact that hormones in the brain are produced later at night in teens than it is for young children and adults, making it harder for teens to fall asleep.
Yet research shows that teenagers need 8 1/2 to more than 9 hours of sleep at night. If a teen wakes up at 6 a.m. to get ready for school, they need to go to bed at 9 p.m. to reach the 9-hour goal. Not an easy accomplishment for a frantic teen.
What you can do
Encourage your teen to focus on their sleep habits.
- Ask them if they think they're getting enough sleep. Do they have difficulty focusing or staying awake during the day?
- Help them revise their daily schedule to make getting enough sleep a top priority.
- Encourage them to make lifestyle changes such as not drinking caffeinated soft drinks or playing video games prior to going to bed.
- Encourage them to unwind prior to going to sleep and do things that relax them. Relaxation battles stress, the most common cause of insomnia, which is the difficulty to fall asleep or stay asleep.
- If your teen seems to get enough sleep but still feels exhausted during the day, this may be a sign of a sleep disorder such as chronic insomnia, Restless Legs Syndrome or Obstructive Sleep Apnea, which is a sleep disorder causing a person to stop breathing temporarily during sleep. Talk to your child's medical provider about getting your teen evaluated for these problems.
Fitness
As they grow older, some teenagers spend more time in front of the computer and television and less time participating in physical activities. Research indicates that the increase in sedentary activities combined with the decrease in physical activity is putting more teens at risk for obesity. Obesity can lead to many serious health problems, including type 2 diabetes.
What you can do
Teach your child the many benefits of exercise:
- Explain to your teen that keeping physically fit will help them handle the physical and emotional challenges they face on a daily basis, including doing well in school.
- Encourage them to start, and stick to, a daily exercise program that works for them. Help them clear away space for a basement or spare-bedroom "gym." Speak with your child's doctor before beginning an exercise program.
- Recommend they incorporate physical activity into their daily routine, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Share with them that the right amount of exercise can rev up their energy level and help them feel better emotionally.
- Be a good role model and let your teen see you exercising. Experts recommend that adults get more than an hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day.
Good nutrition and family time:
Teens trying to establish their independence may be resistant to the idea of a family meal. Yet studies find that teens still want their parents' advice, so use mealtime as an opportunity to stay connected with your child. Make mealtime a relaxing time to be together and refuel your bodies. Avoid lectures or arguing.
Any time you and your family eat together, whether it's takeout or home-cooked with all the trimmings, counts as a family meal. This may mean eating dinner a little later to work around a teen’s sports practice or rehearsal for a school play. But everyone can help in meal planning and preparation so it becomes part of the activity and it isn’t a chore for any one person.
Healthy Eating
Kids, especially younger ones, will eat mostly what's available at home. So it's important to stock up on healthy foods for meals and snacks.
Follow these basic guidelines:
- Work fruits and vegetables into the daily routine, aiming for the goal of 5 servings a day.
- Make it easy for your teen to choose healthy snacks by keeping fruits and vegetables on hand and ready to eat. Other good snacks include yogurt, peanut butter and celery, or whole-grain crackers and cheese.
- Serve lean meats and other good sources of protein, such as eggs and nuts.
- Choose whole-grain breads and cereals for fiber.
- Limit fat intake by avoiding deep-fried foods and choosing healthier cooking methods, such as broiling, grilling, roasting, and steaming.
- Limit fast food and other low-nutrient snacks, such as chips and candy. But don't completely ban favorite snacks from your home. Instead, make them "once-in-a-while" foods, so your family doesn't feel deprived.
- Limit sugary drinks, such as soda and fruit-flavored drinks. Serve water and milk instead.
Raising a fit kid
Combining regular physical activity with good sleep habits and a healthy diet is the key to a healthy lifestyle for your teen. Help them establish these healthy habits now and they will help them now and throughout their lifetime.
For more information about helping your teen deal with stress management and healthy, check out these other resources:
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